The San Francisco 49ers return home in Week 7 and have an opportunity to get above .500 on the year - all they have to do get past the 5-0 Kansas City Chiefs in order to do so.
As head coach Kyle Shanahan and the team dive into the game prep for this matchup, they'll be watching the Chiefs tape from this early portion of the 2024 season and replaying Super Bowl LVIII.
"You stick with the five games they've done this year and you go back to our last game with them, so you also go to previous games of us versus them," head coach Kyle Shanahan said. "When coordinators don't change, the scheme doesn't change. You tie in all those games."
The recent history between these two organizations favors Kansas City to the tune of four-straight wins since 2018. While the Chiefs roster certainly is not a carbon copy of February, a majority of the coaching staff and key playmakers have remained the same, and that's what has kept them among the top teams in the league.
"I think it's gotten better and better each year," Shanahan said when asked about defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo's defense. "I thought last year was the best defense that we played all year, and I feel that way this year so far. They've got guys who've been playing a long time together. They've been doing his scheme for a while, he's been doing his scheme for so long, but they continue to add to it. They continue to fine tune it and I've got a lot of respect for him and his scheme."
"I wouldn't say there is nothing too different," wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. responded when asked about differences from the Chiefs Super Bowl LVIII team and their current 2024 roster. "They've got 15 (quarterback Patrick Mahomes) back there, and he's one of the best to do it. You've always got a chance with him, so they look really good right now."
Despite being 5-0, the productivity of the Chiefs offense is a bit different in 2024. According to NFL research, Kansas City's offense has averaged the fewest passing yards per game (236.8) and most rushing yards per game (117.8) of the Mahomes era. The team has also averaged their second-fewest points per game with Mahomes as the starter.
Meanwhile, San Francisco is seventh against the run, allowing just 101 yards per game, and 17th against the pass, allowing 215.2 yards per game, through six games. The 49ers are coming off a dominant defensive performance in Week 6 in which defensive lineman Nick Bosa racked up 14 total pressures and rookies Malik Mustapha and Renardo Green each came up with an interception of Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith.
"Last week we talked about it being a must win and we got it done," Bosa said. "We have to play like that every week. It's not a one-off, so we're excited to be home for a couple weeks. We need to stack another one."
